Little Master
by Dark Hitokiri Battousai
Summary: A dark and mysterious stranger helped Kaoru as a child, will she ever meet him again? What will she say to him when she comes face to face with him once more? What will her friends say about him? What will Kenshin say?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey all! It's been a long time since I've written anything, that is has ****. I got SO bored in class one day I just had to write this story. As always, I don't own any of the Rurouni Kenshin gain, oh how I wish! Hope you like this new fic. **

**Little Master**

A man walked swiftly and silently through the streets of Tokyo, his eyes never leaving the ground as he traveled. It would be dark soon and he needed to find shelter before the night fell upon him. He had enough money; maybe he would stay at an inn tonight. It had been quite a while since he'd had a nice warm room to sleep in. As of late he had become accustomed to the cold hard ground of the forest, content with the bit of shelter the trees provided him. However, he did quite dislike having to fight the woodland creatures over his food and sleeping spot. He smiled, imagine, a man like him fighting a squirrel over the tree he was sleeping under.

He glanced upwards towards the sky, which had turned from cerulean blue to a deep red color as the sun began to slip behind the horizon. His large hat protected his eyes from the harsh light as he looked on, sighing, "the sky looks like blood tonight." he muttered to the air, not anticipating an answer. A small scream caught his attention and he looked in front of him to see four children, probably no older than eight or nine years old. Three boys had a little girl cornered, laughing at her as they pushed her around.

"Stop it! Leave me alone!" the little girl cried, holding her hands to her chest.

"Come on, just hand it over!" one boy snapped at her with a smirk.

"No way! It's my father's you can't have it!"

"Just give it here brat!" the boy reached out and took the object from the girl's hands, his friends pushing her to the ground as they laughed at their victory.  
"Hey look Botan! Isn't it cool?"

"Yeah, let me see it, Kotaro!"

The boys were so intrigued with their new founded toy that they did not hear the man approach them. His soft but chilling voice reaching their ears, "you shouldn't pick on people smaller than you, boys."

The boys looked up at the man. Kotaro, undaunted by the man's presence stood up and shook his fist at the stranger, "this isn't your business old man! Just leave us alone!"

"Yeah," the third boy shouted, finally speaking up, "we can do whatever we want! We're samurai!"

The boys nodded and pulled out little toy swords and pointed them at the man. The stranger laughed in his throat, rather darkly, as his hand began to slip out of the sleeve of his gi, "so you're samurai are you?"

"Yeah!" they all shouted.

"Well, in that case, why not fight a fellow swordsman for that prize, winner take all. What do you say?"

The man placed his hand on the hilt of his sword that was cinched tightly about his waist, pushing it out of the holster easily with his thumb. The clicking of the sword startled the boys and they began to back away, "We… we're not afraid of you, old man!" Botan shouted.

The stranger smirked, "good, that's just like a samurai to not show his fear to his opponent. It's been a while since I've had a good fight, I look forward to facing a samurai."

He unsheathed his sword and the boys screamed, turning and running quickly down the street. Kotaro tossed down the object he'd taken from the girl, shouting, "run he's crazy!"

The stranger laughed softly, "stupid kids."

He sheathed his sword and looked to the girl who was starting to get up from the ground, rubbing her injured arm. He knelt down and picked up her object, gasping slightly when he realized it was a dagger. He went up to the girl and looked down at her, "you ok?"

The girl looked at him and shrieked, jumping away from him, "get away!"

"I'm not going to hurt you."

The girl seemed unconvinced and glared at him. He took a step towards her and she gasped before reaching down and picking up a stick. The man smiled under his hat as she pointed the stick at him like a sword, "leave me alone! Or else!"

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'll fight you! I'm not like those dumb boys, I'm not afraid of you!"

"So you intend to fight me then?" he laughed, unable to hold back his amusement at this girl's bravery. In deed, she was more courageous than the boys he had startled off and the fire that burned in her blue eyes only fueled his admiration towards this girl. Not even grown men would face him unless they had no other option, yet here was this little girl, her black hair shining in the sunset, her eyes burning with determination and resolve. He had fought many men in the past but this girl had a fighting spirit about her that was much like his own, unwavering and fierce.

"Yes! You're a stranger so leave me alone and go away!"

"Well how about we introduce ourselves, then we won't be strangers anymore," he offered softly.

"I am Kamiya Kaoru of the Kamiya Kasshin Style!"

"Ah, so you are a swordsman, then?"

"Yes! I am the assistant master at the dojo so you'd better back off!"

The man laughed, "Is that so? Well then, little master, let me escort you home and then all will be well."

He stepped toward her and she backed away, getting a sigh from him, "I already told you I'm not going to hurt you."

"Why should I believe you? You were going to attack Kotaro and the others with your sword! Why shouldn't I think you're going to use it on me!"

The man laughed softly, almost sympathetically, "do you really think I'm going to fight you?"

Kaoru didn't answer so he took another step towards her and she suddenly let out a battle yell and charged at him, swinging with surprising precision at his side. He easily dodged the attack and she came at him again but he simply stepped out of the way and gave a light push to her head. Kaoru stumbled but didn't fall as she turned to face the stranger once more. She could see him smile underneath his hat "you have to do better than that little master, if you hope to beat me."

"Fine! This time I won't hold back!"

"You were holding back, huh? Well then, try again and this time don't go easy on me."

"Fine here I come! HA!"

Kaoru swung with all her might at his side but he caught the stick in his hand with ease. She tried to pull it away but he was far too strong for her to overpower. She heard his soft chuckle and stepped in, stomping his foot. He gave a small startled sound and as he took a step back she let go of her weapon and pushed him to the ground. She stepped back and panted, watching as the stranger sat up to look at her. His hat had moved slightly during his fall and she could see his eyes shining underneath, like a demon's eyes.

Suddenly afraid, she backed away, knowing this man was angry with her and was probably going to kill her for what she'd done. But instead of snarling at her he laughed, a deep hearty laugh that rang through the street.

"Not bad little master, not bad at all! You're the first person to ever best me!"

He stood up and dusted himself off, removing his sword from his waist and setting it on the fence before backing away from it, his hands raised, "There, no more sword, you've beaten me so I have no use for it now. I'm sorry for underestimating you, little master."

Kaoru suddenly felt less tense and let her guard down, wincing as her arm began to hurt again but she ignored it. The stranger came up and knelt in front of her, holding her dagger before him, "isn't this yours?"

"Yes, it's my father's."

"It's wise to carry some type of protection, but a child like you shouldn't be carrying a weapon such as this."

"I am not a child!" she snapped.

He smiled and gave a polite tilt of his head to her, "I'm sorry, I keep underestimating you, don't I, little master? Forgive me for addressing you wrongly."

Kaoru took the dagger and put it in her kimono, glancing at the man. She couldn't see his face because of his large hat but she could tell that he had dark hair. The exact color she wasn't sure of because of the setting sun behind him set him almost completely in shadow but she noticed a small scar at the bottom of his cheek, "how did you get that scar?"

"This?" he asked raising his hand to the mark, "I got this from fighting with swords. After getting such a wound you would think I would learn to pick fights I can win, huh? Instead I pick on people who beat me up, like you. Isn't that right, little master?"

Kaoru giggled, earning a smile from the stranger, "that's a pretty laugh you have, Kaoru. But it's getting late and you shouldn't be out at night by yourself, master or no. Where do you live?"

"The Kamiya dojo just a bit up the road."

"Come on then, I'll take you home."

He stood up and held his hand out to her. Kaoru gave him a questioning look and he smiled reassuringly at her, "it's alright, take my hand and you'll be ok."

Kaoru nodded and placed her tiny hand in his large one, noticing how rough it was against her skin of her palm. Sure, her father had rough hands as well from sword practice but they weren't as rough as this man's. He must use the sword a lot for his hands to be so weapon worn. The stranger retrieved his sword and replaced it in his sash before nodding towards her, "lead the way, little master."

Kaoru nodded and started off, the man following closely behind. As they went along she began to skip, losing her shoe along the way. She went back to get her shoe and smiled when she saw the man stop and wait for her. She couldn't help but stare at him as they walked. He was tall but not as tall as her father, maybe a bit over five feet or so. He looked strong too, his gi stuck to him in certain places on his waist and arms, outlining the solid muscle that lay underneath the thin material. Kaoru figured that he probably wasn't very old because of his voice and the way his jaw was curved. But if she had to make a guess, he must have been in his twenties or thirties but she couldn't be positive because she had yet to see his entire face. Even though they weren't in direct sunlight anymore his long bangs kept his face hidden from her.

He must have noticed her eyes on him, for he addressed her, "something wrong, Kaoru?"

"Oh! No! Nothing!"

"Good" was all he said as they continued down the street.

Kaoru saw the sun finally disappear behind the horizon and the night quickly fell upon them, an urgent fear suddenly taking over her. She hated the dark, she always had. She heard people talk about demons and monsters that came out at night and was fearful they would come after her. Boys she could handle but demons and monsters, no way!

A sudden noise behind them startled her and she yelped, clutching to the man's hand and forearm as if her were a lifeline. To her amazement she felt his large hand close gently around hers, pulling her a little closer, "it's alright, no harm will come to you, Kaoru, I promise."

"But… what about the monsters and demons?"

She heard him laugh softly, "if anything wants to attack you they'll have to go through me. Of course, I doubt that the master of Kamiya Kasshin style would need much protecting from a traveler such as myself. But I'm sure you won't let anything get me, right?"

Kaoru smiled, "right! I'll protect you!"

"Thank you."

Finally they reached the dojo and Kaoru ran inside, "Father! I'm home!"

Her father rounded the corner and sighed in relief, "There you are, Kaoru. I was worried. Where have you been?"

"I was coming home from Dr. Gensai's when Kotaro and his brothers attacked me."

Her father's eyes widened, "are you alright?"

"Yes, this swordsman helped me!"

"Swordsman?"

Kaoru laughed lightly and headed to the gate to get the stranger, taking his hand and leading him inside to her father, "this is him, Father."

Kaoru's father nodded to the man, "thank you for bringing her home, stranger."

"You're welcome. Not that she needed much help from me. She's quite a skilled little swordsman."

"Indeed. How can I repay you, stranger?"

The man held up his hand, "oh that is not necessary. Knowing that she is home safe and sound is more than enough of a reward for me."

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Kaoru suddenly asked.

"Kaoru." Her father warned.

She looked up at him questioningly, why didn't he want the swordsman to stay? Before she could ask the stranger spoke up, "oh no, I couldn't impose on you like that. Besides, it is late and I must be off, I have to be elsewhere by early in the morning so I don't have enough time to stay this time, Kaoru."

Kaoru sighed sadly and looked to the ground. Her father nodded and looked down at her, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the dagger in her kimono, "what are you doing with that, Kaoru?"

She raised a hand to touch the weapon in the folds of her obi, "Huh? Oh this, I was just…I mean… You said I could have one of my own and…"

"When you were of age! Not before and not mine! You know you are not supposed to be playing with the weapons, Kaoru! How many times do I have to tell you?"

The stranger watched with narrowed eyes when he saw Kaoru wince as if waiting for a strike from her angry father. But instead of delivering the expected blow he took the dagger and tapped her in the head with it, "You are not to bother this ever again, Kaoru, do you understand me?"

"Yes sir." She answered softly, still drawn into herself.

"Good. You and I will discuss your punishment later for taking this. But for now I need to see our guest out."

The stranger declined, "That won't be necessary, sir, I can escort myself out."

"As you wish. Well, thank you again, stranger. Next time you're in town you are welcome to stop by for dinner."

"I would enjoy that, sir. Goodnight to you both."

The stranger bowed and headed to the gate. Kaoru took off after him and caught his hand, "Wait! Do you really have to go?"

"Yes."

"But… I want you stay…"

The stranger smiled and knelt down, resting a hand on her tiny shoulder, "I'm sorry, Kaoru but I can't. But I was wondering if you would do a favor for me?"

"What is it?"

He reached into his gi and pulled out a small dagger in a solid black sheath with a red tie on it, handing it to her, "would you keep hold of this for me until I return? It keeps falling out of my gi because of the hole in my pocket and I would hate to lose it. Would you keep it safe for me?"

Kaoru smiled and took the dagger, "yes, I'll keep it safe for you."

"Thank you."

He stood to leave but Kaoru once again caught his hand, "wait, you never told me your name."

"Don't worry about my name, I'm just a lonely traveler. You won't remember it even if I do tell you."

"But…" He placed a calloused finger to her lips to shush her, a smile appearing on his face, "I will see you again one day. Until then, farewell little master."

The man left without another word, shutting the gate behind him. Kaoru opened it to go after him but by the time she moved the heavy door he was gone, vanished into the shadows of the night as if he himself were made from the same inky blackness. Kaoru sighed and clutched the dagger to her, "yes, until then…"

**Well, that's chapter 1, hope if was ok. I haven't written in awhile so I may be a bit off (more than usual) so let me know how to fix it and chapter two will be up soon enough.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Miss Kaoru? Miss Kaoru?"

Kaoru blinked and came out of her daydream, looking up to see a smiling red haired rurouni standing before her, "Didn't you hear me, Miss Kaoru?" he asked softly.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Kenshin I was somewhere else. What were you saying?"

"I said that I was heading out now, that I am. Do you need anything from town?"

"No thanks, Kenshin."

"Alright, I'll see you later then, that I will."

Kenshin turned on his heel and started out of the dojo to head into town to retrieve the necessary ingredients he needed to prepare dinner. Kaoru sighed and shook her head to clear the image of the stranger from her mind. It had been almost ten years since she'd last seen him and she'd never thought about him before until just recently. For some reason she couldn't help but run his image through her mind over and over, as if trying to make him materialize by just thinking about him. It had always bothered her that she didn't know what he looked like. He said he would return one day but how would she know it was him if she had never seen his face?

Kaoru huffed at her thought, "get a hold of yourself, Kaoru. Why should it matter if you don't recognize him? It's been ten years. If he hasn't shown up by now he's not going to!"

Even so, she couldn't help but imagine the mysterious stranger once more as she stood to head into the training hall. She needed to work off some stress and since Yahiko wasn't there to complain, that gave her the perfect opportunity to practice some of the more difficult kata. Kaoru grabbed her bokken from the wall and held it at the ready, pausing briefly as a strange feeling washed over her, "I have a bad feeling about something… I hope it's just my imagination."

* * *

Kenshin hummed softly to himself as he walked back to the dojo, tofu in hand. He was in an unusually good mood today for some reason and he couldn't help but wonder why. Sure, everything had been peaceful and perfect at the dojo lately. There hadn't been any battles, no one coming and trying to kill him, not even Saito had come around to pick a fight lately. The peace and quiet he didn't mind, the slight tickle in his throat he felt as he hummed his song, however, made him feel a bit uneasy. He usually didn't hum to himself unless he was about to be sick and the slight pressure beginning to build within his head seemed to confirm that fact. He hated being sick, he didn't act like himself when he was ill and on top of that he didn't want to get Kaoru sick.

She had been under a lot of stress lately and catching his cold wouldn't do her any good in the least. The master at a nearby dojo had been injured during a burglary so for the past two weeks Kaoru had been traveling back and forth between the two dojos to teach his, as well as her own, classes. She was tired and aggravated, which was why he decided to leave her alone for a while at the dojo. He hadn't really needed to get anything for dinner, he had everything he needed but he figured Kaoru could use the time to herself to unwind.

A sneeze suddenly overtook him and he paused to let it out, a pained sound escaping him as the sneeze made his head throb he wiped his nose on his sleeve he felt a mischievous presence sneaking up behind him. He thought nothing of it until he suddenly felt someone grab his ponytail and yank hard. "Ow!"

Kenshin quickly turned, halting his sword in mid-draw when he saw the smiling face of his opponent, "Oh, it's you…"

* * *

Kaoru finished her kata with one hard thrust forward into her invisible opponent, wiping the sweat from her brow with a relieved sigh. That workout really helped her to feel better. It had been a long time since she could just go crazy and do whatever she wanted during practice. Yahiko was a great partner but he was also a great complainer. When their training didn't involve something he could actually use in a fight he didn't want to hear it and would complain incessantly until Kaoru finally gave up and let him leave. She smiled. She loved that boy, even if he was a pain, she would have to make him work harder for leaving before she woke up this morning.

As Kaoru was putting away her bokken she heard two high-pitched voices calling out to her, "Auntie Kaoru!"

"Ayame, Suzume! Over here!" she called out, stepping into the hall.

"Auntie Kaoru!"

The little girls ran to her and hugged her tightly, smiling up at the older woman, "Hey Auntie Kaoru! Do you wanna play with us?" Ayame asked cheerfully

"Yeah, Auntie Kaoru, play with us!" Suzume added, a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

Kaoru smiled and nodded, "alright, what do you want to play?"

"Prince and Princess!"

"What's that?" Kaoru asked, arching a brow.

"We're the samurai and we kidnap the princess then a prince has to come and rescue her, like in the story!" Ayame explained enthusiastically.

"Sounds like fun, but who is the princess? You, Suzume?"

"No, Auntie Kaoru, you're the princess." Ayame giggled

"Me? Ok, so I guess that one of you is the samurai and one is the prince, right?"

"Ayame is the samurai."

Suzume pointed to her sister and Kaoru couldn't help but laugh, "Alright so Suzume is the prince, right?"

"No! Uncle Kenny is the prince!" Ayame huffed.

"Sorry girls, but Kenshin isn't here right now."

"AW!" both girls' faces fell in disappointment and Kaoru tried to comfort them, "It's ok, he should be back soon so he can rescue me when he gets here."

"Ok! Let's get started Auntie Kaoru!"

"Yeah, let's get started!"

* * *

Kenshin tried to hurry back to the dojo. He had lost a lot of time during his encounter, nearly losing the tofu and half his hair in the process. He made sure to keep a few steps ahead of his attacker as they followed behind him, smiling at the hundredth groan they let out, "Oh come on, Himura! You're not STILL mad at me are you?"

"You nearly pulled my head off, that you did, Miss Misao."

"I said I was sorry and besides, you got hair to spare!"

"I suppose I do. But aside from that it's nice to see both of you again, that it is. Have you been well lately, Aoshi?"

He turned to the taller man behind him and he nodded slightly, "Yes." Came the simple reply.

Kenshin smiled and opened the gate to the dojo and stepped aside to let Misao and Aoshi in before he shut and locked the gate back, "Miss Kaoru, tadaima!"

There was no answer. He called again "Miss Kaoru?"

Again nothing but silence and he began to worry. Had something happened to Kaoru while he was gone? Had someone captured her? Kenshin strained his ears to hear the faintest sound, heightening his other senses to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary. Suddenly he heard giggling and a familiar shout from the back of the dojo, "help! Someone please help me!"

"Miss Kaoru!"

Kenshin dropped the bucket in his hands, the tofu forgotten as he raced to the back of the dojo with Misao and Aoshi close behind. He rounded the corner, sword drawn and ready to fight, "Miss Kaoru! Are you alright?!"

He paused in mid-step when he saw the unusual scene before him. He saw Kaoru sitting on the edge of the porch her back against one of the support beams, making note of the rope wrapped around her arms and waist that pinned her to the beam. But what got his attention was not her bound form, but the cheerful smile that graced her pretty lips! What was going on here? She was being held captive and was she smiling about it? Had she been drugged as well as captured? If so then what else had they done to her? And where were they now?

He approached her slowly, still on guard and glancing around with cautious narrowed eyes, "Miss Kaoru?"

Kaoru raised her gaze to meet his, "Oh, hey Kenshin."

"Are you alright? What happened?"

"Oh it's not what you think, Kenshin," she answered quickly with a smile, seeing the distress on his handsome face. "I was captured by two little samurai so now I have to wait for a prince to come and rescue me."

"Oro?"

"What're you talkin' about, Miss Kaoru?!" Misao interjected, poking her head out from behind Kenshin.

"Oh Misao! It's good to see you. What brings you here?"

"We came to see you but I didn't expect to see you tied up and happy about it. Is this some kind of new game you and Himura have come up with for when the others aren't around?"

Kenshin and Kaoru both flushed a crimson color, "NO!" they shouted.

"I've done some strange and harsh things in my life, Miss Misao, that I have, but I have never tied a woman in order to do something to her!" Kenshin snapped softly as he sheathed his sakabatou.

Seeing how she'd struck a nerve Misao grinned and continued to tease him, "maybe you should Himura, then maybe you wouldn't be so grumpy and uptight all the time."

"MISS MISAO!"

Kenshin flushed brighter and everyone laughed at the embarrassed ex-hitokiri, more than amused by his shyness. He had been the most feared man in Japan at one point, striking terror into the heart of anyone who dared to cross his path or get in his way; emotion and embarrassment never showing on his cold, emotionless face even in the most compromising of situations. Now however, if you said something regarding him and Kaoru, or anything intimate for that matter, he wouldn't be able to look at you, nor could you distinguish between his face and his hair for the next hour. Ayame and Suzume suddenly came running around the corner, bokkens in hand, laughing. They saw Kenshin and shouted at the top of their lungs, "Uncle Kenny!"

They practically tackled the red head as he knelt down to meet them, "Ayame, Suzume, what're you two doing here? Is Dr. Gensai with you?"

"No, Auntie Megumi dropped us off so she and Grandpa could go help a lady in town."

"Yeah, a sick lady in town." Suzume chirped smiling.

"I see. So do you two know what happened to Miss Kaoru?"

"Yeah we kidnapped her!" Ayame stated proudly, holding up her bokken.

Kenshin couldn't suppress his smile as relief and amusement replaced his anger, "You did?"

"Yeah and now we need a prince to rescue her!"

"That's you, Uncle Kenny!" Suzume ordered, poking him in the nose.

Kenshin laughed, "That's me, huh? Ok, so what do I have to do to rescue Miss Kaoru?"

"You have to beat the strong samurai!" Ayame held her bokken in front of her like she had seen Kenshin do before and Suzume followed suit, "yeah, that's us!"

"Oh I see. So I have to beat you do I? Very well, if it's to save Miss Kaoru I shall defeat you, evil samurai! That I shall!"

The girls took off and Kenshin unsheathed his sakabatou, handing the blade to Aoshi, "Aoshi, could you hold this for me?"

"Sure."

Aoshi took the blade and Kenshin took off after Ayame and Suzume, sheath in hand. Misao laughed and sat next to Kaoru, patting her knee, "can you believe Himura would stoop so low as to play a silly game like this?"

"Leave him alone, Misao. He loves to play with Ayame and Suzume. Besides, it keeps his mind off of the past so just leave him be."

"If you say so. I still say he's an idiot."

They looked up as the girls came squealing around the corner, Kenshin a step behind. He was obviously not trying to catch them but they thought he was and held up their bokken to fight him. Ayame looked to her sister, "Suzume, you guard the princess! I'll fight the prince!"

"Ok Ayame!"

Suzume got on the porch with Misao's help and put her bokken on Kaoru's head, "I have the princess!"

Kaoru giggled and went along with the game, "Oh prince Kenshin! Save me!"

Kenshin laughed as well, "Fear not, Princess Kaoru! I will save you that I will! Samurai Ayame, release the princess!"

"No! HA!"

Ayame charged at him and he dodged with ease. She swung again and he let her hit him in the arm, pretending to shout out in pain, "darn you, samurai! You're better than I thought!"

"That's right! Now die!"

Kenshin jumped away from her and tapped her on the top of the head with his sheath, "I have slain you, samurai Ayame!"

Ayame grabbed her chest and smiled, "OH! Curse you, prince!" she fell to the ground, sticking her tongue out the side of her mouth to emphasize that she was dead.

Kenshin turned to Suzume and held up his sheath, "you're next samurai Suzume. Release the princess and you can live."

"No!"

Suzume left her "post" next to Kaoru and came at him. Kenshin put up his hand and held her with his palm on her forehead, keeping her in front of him as she began to swing wildly, unable to reach him. Suzume huffed at him, "no fair Uncle Kenny!"

"This is war, Suzume, I don't have to play fair, that I don't."

Suzume stuck her tongue out at him and backed away before coming at him again. She swung at his leg and he once again took the blow, crying out in real pain as she cracked his shin sharply with the wooden sword.

"OW! You have to do better than that, samurai Suzume! HA!"

Kenshin repeated his killing strike on Suzume and she too fell to the ground groaning. The red head laughed and put his sheath back in his sash, going up to Kaoru and pulling the rope away. They hadn't managed to make a decent knot it so it was incredibly easy to free her. Kaoru giggled and hugged him with exaggerated joy, "Oh my prince! You saved me!"

Kenshin put a hand on her shoulder, smiling into her gi, "yes, you are safe now, that you are, princess Kaoru."

Kenshin stood and helped her up, looking at a disgusted Misao when she groaned loudly, "what's wrong, Miss Misao?"

"I just cant' believe you, Himura!"

"Why? What did I…."

He was cut short when he heard a voice call out to him from behind, "not so fast prince Kenny!"

They all turned and saw Ayame standing holding her bokken once more, "You didn't kill me, prince Kenny! You still have to beat me!"

Kenshin shook his head and pretended to be surprised, "What? No one has ever survived my attack before! Curse you, samurai Ayame!"

"Here goes nothing! HA!"

Kenshin pulled his sheath again and blocked her attack and took off around the corner, "you have to catch me first, samurai!"

"Come back here, Uncle Kenny! I haven't killed you yet!"

"Yeah, me too!"

Suzume got up and followed her sister to slay Kenshin, getting Kaoru to laugh, "this is so cute!"

"No it's not, it's pathetic!" Misao shouted, once more expressing her anger towards the infamous swordsman.

"Oh come now, it isn't all that bad."

"This is supposed to be Battousai the manslayer! And he's playing rescue the princess with five year olds and losing!"

"I must agree with Misao," Aoshi spoke up softly for the first time since they'd been there, "even though it is just a game I imagine Battousai's commanding officers are turning over in their graves at this child's play."

"Oh you two get over it! It makes everyone happy and besides it's fun. Anyways, I'm sure you're tired so let me show you to a room."

Kaoru helped Misao and Aoshi get settled into the room just down the hall from hers, watching as Kenshin came by every once in awhile with Ayame and Suzume in toe, huffing and puffing as they tried to catch their opponent. Aoshi stayed in his room to meditate and Misao and Kaoru sat on the porch to catch up on the past year since they'd last seen one another. Sanosuke, Megumi and Yahiko returned to the dojo a short time later and looked around, "Where's Kenshin?" Sanosuke asked

"He's running around here playing with Ayame and Suzume. They're trying to kill him." Kaoru explained the rescue mission to the others, getting them all to laugh at the silliness of it all.

"I can't believe Kenshin would do something so stupid. I mean… he's Battousai!" Yahiko snorted with slight disgust and disbelief.

"Thank you! Someone who understands!" Misao exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air.

"I have to say that I think it's very sweet of Sir Ken to play with the girls. He'll make such a good father one day." Megumi said dreamily, her fox ears appearing on her head as Kaoru glared at her, catching the double meaning of her words.

Sanosuke chuckled, "yeah he would, if Missy ever caught him off guard, that is."

Kaoru flushed and punched his foot, getting him to cry out and hop up and down on his uninjured foot. Just then Kenshin came around the corner, groaning loudly, "OH! You got me! You have bested me… you evil… samurai!"

He fell to the ground, holding one of the girls' bokken between his rib cage and his left arm as if he had been stabbed. Everyone arched an eyebrow at the fallen warrior and Kaoru tapped him with her foot, "Kenshin?"

He cracked open one eye to look at her, "hm?" he answered softly.

"What're you doing?"

"They killed me, that they did."

He shut his eye again as the girls came around the corner, cheering at their victory, "Yey! We beat the prince!"

"Yeah me and Ayame beat the prince!"

"Good job girls, it's about time someone killed him." Sanosuke turned his gaze to his fallen friend, unable to hold back his amusement, "You managed to survive a revolution and Shishio and ya got killed by a five-year old little girl with a bokken, what a way to go there, Kenshin." Sanosuke joked, getting a laugh from everyone, except from the slain Kenshin of course.

They saw Kenshin scrunch his nose in slight frustration, knowing he wanted to retaliate against Sanosuke's remark but trying to be dead at the same time. Ayame and Suzume knelt next to him and shook his shoulder, "wake up Uncle Kenny, we were just playing." Ayame pleaded with a smile.

"Yeah, don't die, Uncle Kenny."

He didn't answer and Megumi chuckled, "if I recall, a prince can be brought back to life by a kiss from a princess."

"Yeah! Come kiss Uncle Kenny, Auntie Kaoru and wake him up!" Ayame suggested innocently.

Kaoru flushed at the thought, "Oh, he's just playing, he's not really dead. Besides he doesn't want me to kiss him I'm sure."

"But then how are we going to save Uncle Kenny?" Ayame pouted.

Suzume answered the call, "I'll save Uncle Kenny!"

She leaned down and placed a rough, wet kiss to Kenshin's still lips, getting everyone to laugh at the scene when his eyes shot open and his hair stood on end, shock evident on his face as Suzume looked down at him and smiled, "YEY! I saved Uncle Kenny!"

Kenshin sat up and flushed, patting her head, "you certainly did."

"How come you're red, Uncle Kenny?" she asked him sweetly.

"Because it's not everyday I get kissed by a beautiful girl, that it isn't. Also, you're not supposed to kiss me like that, that you're not."

"How come?" both girls asked simultaneously as Kenshin tried to think of an answer to give them.

"Well, because that's…. that's a… grown up kiss that it is."

"A grown up kiss?" they asked together.

"Yes, only grown ups are supposed to kiss like that. You are supposed to kiss like this," he leaned in and kissed both girls on the forehead, getting them to giggle and wipe it away.

"So that's a kid kiss?" Ayame asked to clarify his meaning.

"Yes."

"Oh ok! Well we saw a grown up kiss before so we thought that was what we were supposed to do." Suzume explained.

"Oh really? Who did you see kiss like that?" Kenshin asked as he stood and dusted himself off.

"We saw Uncle Sano kissing Auntie Megumi like that the other day."

"Yeah, Uncle Sano kissed Auntie Megumi."

Everyone gasped and looked over at the pair, noting that they had both turned the color of Kenshin's hair as everyone busted up laughing and cheering, "Woo hoo! Go Sanosuke!" Yahiko jeered.

"We had no idea you two were a couple, Miss Megumi!" Kaoru managed to spit out between her fits of laughter.

Megumi huffed and took Ayame and Suzume by the hands, "come on girls, it's time to go home now, say bye!"

"Bye!" they called out as Megumi lead them out of the dojo.

Once they left Kenshin turned to Sanosuke grinning, "Well Sano, what do you have to say for yourself? Shame on you for accosting Miss Megumi in such a manner!"

Sanosuke turned away, decided to shift the embarrassment onto someone else, "well what did you expect when you kept refusing me, Kenshin?"

Everyone gasped at the snide remark. They all knew he was joking but they were waiting to see how angry Kenshin had gotten at it. But instead of seeing him glaring at Sanosuke, he smiled and rested a hand on the taller man's shoulder, "you know you're the only man in my life, Sano. I just can't be with you because Miss Kaoru won't let me."

He winked at her and she laughed, not expecting Kenshin to go along with the joke, especially not in that way.

Sanosuke turned to him, stunned, "What?!"

Kenshin's eyes began to fleck with gold as he playfully hugged Sanosuke's arm, "that's right, you're my man, Sano. And don't worry I still care for you, even if you did kiss Miss Megumi."

Sanosuke punched the older man, rather roughly in the arm, pushing him away, "get away from me you psychopathic little pervert!"

Everyone laughed at the scene, not used to seeing Sanosuke so embarrassed. Usually it was Kenshin and Kaoru getting embarrassed in such a manner so it was quite a treat to see someone else getting it for once. Kenshin paused in his laugh to let out a harsh set of coughs, catching everyone's attention, "You ok, Himura?"

"Oh yes, I'm fine, Miss Misao, that I am. Just a cough is all."

"Are you sure, Kenshin, you look like you don't feel well." Kaoru added, a hint of worry in her voice.

Kenshin shook them off and started down the hallway towards the kitchen, "oh no, I'm fine. I just ran a bit too much is all, it's nothing to worry about that it isn't. I'll go start dinner now, that I will."

Sanosuke called after him, "you sure that's all it is, Kenshin?"

Kenshin halted in his steps, a dark smirk gracing his lips as he turned to his friend, eyes shielded by his long bangs, "I was fine until I kissed you. I must have caught that cold you got from Megumi."

Everyone's mouths hit the floor as he disappeared into the kitchen doorway, not at all expecting such a crude comment from the rurouni, "What the hell just happened?" Sanosuke asked stunned.

"Yeah, Kenshin's been acting weird lately." Yahiko added.

"I don't know. I've never seen him act this way before. Do you think he's sick?" Kaoru asked worriedly.

"Of course he's sick, Kaoru, he's Battousai. But is he _getting_ sick? Probably."

"SANOSUKE!" Kaoru snapped at him.

Yahiko laughed, "yeah! Even more proof he's a sick man is that he likes women like Kaoru!"

"What was that, Yahiko?!"

"You heard me! Kenshin has a weird taste in ugly women like you! But I guess after being alone for ten years wandering around, anyone would like the first girl they saw. In Kenshin's case it just happened to be you, Kaoru."

"Why you little brat! Come here!"

Yahiko took off and Kaoru gave chase while the others watched eagerly as the pair ran laps around the dojo.

Kenshin listened to the fight from inside the kitchen as he diced through some vegatables, smiling when he heard Yahiko shout in pain, _"serves him right, calling Kaoru ugly. Maybe I should give him a knock upside the head, too."_

He gasped audibly, shocked by his own harsh thought towards the boy, _"what's the matter with me? First I said those awful things to Sano and now I'm thinking badly about poor Yahiko who's getting beaten to a pulp. Damn it! I knew I was getting sick! I have to see if I can find a way to get out of the dojo until I can get over this before I say something I'll really regret."_

He glanced up and saw Yahiko hurry down the hall, an infuriated Kaoru close behind. He could feel amber creeping into his eyes as he watched the pair begin to spar. Noticing with unusually keen eyes how her body moved gracefully as she twisted the young man into shapes the human body was not designed to endure. She laughed then, her sweet innocent laugh that he had come to know and love. The laugh that made his heart melt and his desires flare whenever he heard it. Yahiko managed to grab her lapel and she threw him, causing her gi to slip off of one shoulder, exposing a bit of the pale, silky flesh that lay beneath the worn material. Amber took over his vision for a moment but he quickly pushed it away, turning back to the vegetables he was cutting, _"I have to get out of here before I say something I'll regret."_

Kenshin dared one more glance at Kaoru as she pulled her gi back into place, laughing once more and causing the amber to force its way back into his amethyst gaze as the tip of the knife grazed his finger, drawing blood, _"Before…before I do something I'll regret."_

**Chapter 2! YEY! Hope it wasn't too cutesy and silly. I know it seems to be getting away from the plot a bit but I promise there is method to my madness! (Mostly). Just wait! Next chappie will have more action and a lot more problems for our sweet rurouni and Miss Kaoru. Who knows, maybe someone will show up? See you then! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Kenshin dared one more glance at Kaoru as she pulled her gi back into place, laughing once more and causing the amber to force its way back into his amethyst gaze as the tip of the knife grazed his finger, drawing blood, _"Before…before I do something I'll regret."_

Kaoru wiped the sweat from her brow and headed towards the kitchen. Kenshin quickly went back to his task, hoping she hadn't noticed him staring at her. She poked her head into the doorway and smiled at him, "how are you doing in here, Kenshin? Do you need some help?"

"No thank you, Miss Kaoru. I have everything under control, that I do."

He was lying to her of course. He didn't have everything under control, not in his mind anyways. Outwardly he was normal everyday Kenshin to his friends, but internally he felt himself changing, becoming less and less like himself by the minute. He could feel the Battousai closer to the surface than usual and he didn't like how his darker side was making him act towards his friends. Not to mention the indecent thoughts he had been having lately of Miss Kaoru.

Kaoru smiled at him, unaware of his internal conflict, "that's good. If you need help just… oh Kenshin!"

"Huh? What is it?" he asked turning to her. Alarmed by the shock in her voice.

She came up to him and grasped his hand, "you're bleeding. Are you alright?"

"Oh that. Yes, I'm fine, Miss Kaoru. I just got distracted a moment ago is all."

"You distracted? That's unusual."

Kaoru reached into her gi and pulled out a small handkerchief and began to wipe away the blood from his finger. Kenshin looked down at her and realized that from this angle he had a rather nice and enticing view down her gi. He let his eyes linger there for a moment before he realized what he was doing and quickly looked away, looking at the knife on the counter, the vegetables, anything but Kaoru.

Kaoru noticed the sudden jerk of his head as he looked away from her, a slight flush on his cheeks. She raised an eyebrow at him and tugged on his hand to get his attention, "what's wrong, Kenshin?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing, Miss Kaoru! I just… feel a little embarrassed about nicking myself is all!"

Kaoru smiled, believing his lie, "don't be embarrassed about it. I nick myself all the time cooking."

Kenshin returned her smile, "yes but I'm supposed to be a master swordsman and I get injured preparing dinner."

Kaoru giggled and tied the cloth around his finger, "yes, but you were trained to fight with a big sword, not attack vegetables with a tiny knife. The size difference messes you up, I think."

Kenshin laughed, "That must be it. Thank you, Miss Kaoru. Sorry to be a bother, that I am."

"You're not a bother, just be careful, ok?"

"I will, thank you."

"You sure you don't want help?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I won't get distracted anymore that I won't."

"Alright, shout if you need me."

"I will."

Kaoru left the kitchen and Kenshin let out a sigh of relief. He looked down at his bandaged hand and shook his head in disgust, "I can't believe I cut myself because I was watching Miss Kaoru. You're getting sad, Himura."

Kenshin turned back to his original task and finally finished the vegetables without further incident. Out of habit he reached down to feel his sakabatou and found it to be missing. He looked around briefly, almost frantically before he remembered he'd given it to Aoshi before his battle with Ayame and Suzume. He dusted his hands off and went to Aoshi's room, tapping the doorframe lightly, "Who is it?" he heard on the other side.

"Kenshin."

Aoshi opened the door a moment later and looked down at the smaller swordsman, "What is it, Battousai?"

"I need my sword back, that I do."

"Of course."

Aoshi went to the other side of the room and retrieved the said object before handing it to Kenshin, "Thank you, Aoshi."

He placed his sakabatou back into its sheath and informed Aoshi that dinner would be ready soon. Aoshi nodded and sat down to meditate again. Kenshin quietly shut to shoji so he wouldn't disturb him and headed back to the kitchen to finish the rest of dinner. He reached down once more to make sure his blade was actually at his side before he went to work on the rice. He knew it was there before he reached for it, but it was just a bit of a comfort to actually feel his weapon and know it was within reach. It was a strange habit he'd picked up during the revolution. Back then it was easy to drop your blade during a skirmish and forget that you didn't have it when the next fight came around.

He'd made that mistake once. It was right after he'd fought Saito at the inn to defend his comrades. He and the Shinsengumi leader had managed to disarm one another and they went their separate ways before anything else could happen. Later that night he had ran into a couple of Saito's troops and reached for his sword only to find that it wasn't there. He had to fend them off with just his wakizashi and sword sheath and that had turned out not to be a pleasant battle in the least. Kenshin reached into his gi and felt the scar on his ribs, smiling secretly to himself as he traced the mark. He had gotten that scar that night and ever since then he made certain to keep track of his weapons. So every once in awhile, even if he wasn't battling he would reach down and feel his sword to make sure it was there.

A little bit later everyone sat down to eat and chatted about this, that and the other. Yahiko turned to Misao and asked, "So why are you guys here anyways?"

"Lord Aoshi is here to see a sick friend of his and I came along to visit you guys. You got a problem with that?"

"Yeah, putting up with one ugly girl is bad enough. Now I have to put up with you and Kaoru."

"What did you say!?" Kaoru and Misao shouted at him.

The men laughed and Kenshin cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention, "I wanted to apologize to everyone."

"For what, Kenshin?" Sanosuke asked as he shoved a rather large bite of rice into his mouth.

"For the way I acted earlier. I haven't been myself lately and I said some strange things earlier and I just wanted to say that I was sorry, that I did."

"Oh don't worry about it, Kenshin. We know you were just teasing. Besides you didn't say anything we haven't heard before." Kaoru reassured him.

"Yeah, we just never heard it from you before, Himura. We just figured that we'd finally rubbed off on ya." Misao joked.

Kenshin smiled at her, "I suppose I have been hanging around with Sano too much lately, that I have."

"Hey! Watch it, red!" Sanosuke tried to threaten but with his mouth full of rice it came out muffled and non-frightening.

Kenshin chuckled at him and turned back to his meal but as he tried to take a bite a sharp pain suddenly shot through his head. He dropped his chopsticks and grabbed his head, getting a worried look from Kaoru and the others, "Kenshin, are you ok?" she asked softly.

"Yes, just a headache is all."

Kenshin forced himself to smile and picked up his chopsticks and began to eat again, simply ignoring the throbbing in his skull as he chewed.

Kaoru sighed. She figured he would say that. He never did admit it when he wasn't feeling well, that's just how he was. He hated people to worry about him so no matter how badly he was hurting from an injury or how horrible he felt from a cold he would never tell those around him just how miserable he was. Every time they would try to get him to say what was wrong he would simply shrug them off, smile and continue with whatever he was doing at the time.

After dinner was over everyone decided to turn in for the evening and said their goodnights before going to their rooms. Kenshin took the dishes to the kitchen and set them in the washtub. He leaned against the counter and groaned. The pain in his head had gotten worse throughout dinner and now it was almost unbearable. It had been a long time since he'd fallen ill and now it seemed that this cold was making up for lost time. Kenshin sighed and shook his head, "It's just a headache, get over it and do the dishes then you can go to bed." He ordered himself.

He started to roll up his sleeves when a familiar voice from behind reached his ears, "What're you doing, Kenshin?"

He turned around and met Kaoru's gaze, smiling softly at her, "Oh Miss Kaoru, I thought you'd gone to bed already."

"No, I wanted to check on you. Are you alright?"

"Yes I'm alright, that..."

A cough suddenly came over him and he turned away from her, his body shaking with the force of it. Kaoru placed a hand on his back and rubbed between his shoulders, trying to ease the cough. When it finally subsided he looked at her, his rurouni smile still in place, "Sorry about that, Miss Kaoru, I got chocked up that I did."

Kaoru frowned at him. She could see his face was flushed and his eyes were tired and it was obvious that the man didn't feel well. She raised her hand and placed her palm against his forehead, gasping slightly, "Oh my! Kenshin you're burning up!"

Kenshin shook his head, "I'm alright, that I am. It was just a cough is all."

"Kenshin, for once stopped being so evasive and just tell me how you really feel!"

Kenshin looked into her deep blue eyes and his smile softened. He could never deny her anything, even if it meant appearing weak to the young kendo master, "I feel horrible, that I do."

Kaoru smiled, "thank you. Now off to bed with you!"

Kaoru started to push him out of the kitchen towards his room, getting a protest from the rurouni as she did so, "But what about the dishes, Miss Kaoru?"

"The dishes will be there in the morning, Kenshin. You are going to bed and resting!"

She stopped in front of his door and he turned to face her, "But Miss Kaoru, I…"

Kaoru placed a finger to his lips and shushed him. She opened his shoji and pointed into his room, "Bed mister! Now!"

Kenshin smiled and gave her a mock solute, "yes ma'am!"

Kaoru laughed and pushed him into the room, "goodnight Kenshin. If you need anything come and get me."

"I will, goodnight Miss Kaoru."

Kaoru shut the shoji and waited until she heard him sit down and get settled before heading to her own room for the night. She loved Kenshin but there were times that his stubbornness irritated her and tonight was one of those times. She hated to see him hurt or sick, especially when he downplayed it so much. It had been obvious to everyone that he didn't feel well all day and his recent fever only confirmed that fact. If he didn't improve by in the morning she planned to go to Dr. Gensai and have him or Megumi come check on him and give him some medicine. If she had to make Yahiko and Sanosuke do some chores for once she would. If it meant that Kenshin could rest and get better she could put up with their whining and complaining for a day or two.

* * *

The next day went by as usual. Yahiko and Kaoru practiced and Sanosuke lazed about and chatted with Kenshin as he did the dishes left from the night before. Aoshi had left to visit his friend and Misao decided to help Kaoru and Yahiko practice, getting protests from the youngster as she continually outdid him move for move.

After lunch Kenshin managed to escape the chattering Sanosuke to finish the previous day's laundry. He had left it because he hadn't felt well and it needed to be done. He still didn't feel well but for the time being it was tolerable. After hanging up the last gi he sighed and released his sleeves from their tie, allowing them to fall back into place over his arms. Kenshin went and looked at the clock in the main hall and sighed. It was getting late and he still needed to prepare dinner but he was just so tired!

He had wanted to take a nap all day but he wouldn't allow himself to do so. He thought it was bad enough that he was lazy the night before and coped out of doing the dishes, he wouldn't do it twice in a row. Kenshin sighed and started down the hall towards the kitchen when a sudden wave of dizziness overtook him. He grasped the side of his head and leaned against the wall for support, his legs feeling that they would give out at any moment.

_"I feel horrible… but I need to fix dinner for the others. Maybe if I lay down for a moment… no! You're fine! Just forget about how you feel and cook dinner as you're supposed to."_

Before he could move away from the wall he felt a small gentle hand rest on his shoulder. He turned and smiled when he met a pair of worried blue eyes, "Oh hello Miss Kaoru. Is something wrong?"

"Besides you being sick?"

Kenshin straightened himself up and forced himself to stand tall, ignoring the swimming sensation that coursed through his aching body as he did so. "I'm alright Miss Kaoru, that I am."

"No you're not. You're still sick. Why don't you go to bed and let me cook dinner tonight?"

"There's no need for that, Miss Kaoru, that there isn't. I'm just a bit out of breath is all, nothing to be concerned about. And anyways, I got out of the dishes last night so I need to keep up with the rest of my chores so I don't get too lazy, that I do."

Kaoru shook her head, "Kenshin, please, go to bed. You look awful!"

Kenshin smirked slightly, feeling flecks of gold coming into his eyes, "well I know I'm not the most handsome man in the world Miss Kaoru, but isn't awful a bit harsh?"

Kaoru rolled her eyes and smacked him on the arm, "don't joke Kenshin! You don't feel well, go to bed!"

"I will just as soon as I finish dinner, Miss Kaoru. You shouldn't worry, that you shouldn't."

Kenshin turned away from her and headed down the hall, ignoring the groan he heard escape Kaoru's lips as she watched him leave, "I swear Kenshin you are the most…"

"AAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!"

Kaoru gasped upon hearing the loud scream, "That sounded like Misao!"

Kaoru quickly ran to the other side of the dojo, rounding the corner to see a frantic Misao standing on top of poor Yahiko's head. Before she could ask what was wrong Kenshin came from the other side, hand on his sword and ready to attack, "Miss Misao what's the matter?!"

"KILL IT, KILL IT, KILL IT!!!" she screamed, pointing to the ground.

"Kill what Misao?" Kaoru asked, confused by the young ninja's sudden outburst.

"THE SNAKE!"

Kaoru's eyes widened when she heard that word, looking around herself now, "Snake?! What snake?!"

Kenshin sighed loudly, relaxing a bit, "you were screaming like that all because of a little snake, Miss Misao?"

Misao turned to Kenshin, "It's not a little snake it's the size of Yahiko! So just shut up and kill it, Himura! You're the one with the sword after all!"

Kenshin smiled and shook his head. Never in his life had he seen someone have such a reaction to a reptile before. He knew that most women didn't like them but he never did understand that particular type of fear. He used to play with snakes all the time when he was young so they never bothered him but he could also see why Misao was afraid. And it was amusing seeing Yahiko turn different shades of blue and purple as Misao tightened her grip ever now and again.

Kenshin was about to try and calm down the young girl when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He looked over at Kaoru and saw the slippery little culprit just at her foot. Kaoru was looking at Misao and trying not to giggle at the predicament, not noticing the snake at her feet, "Miss Kaoru?" he called softly.

She looked at him, "yes?"

"Don't move, Miss Kaoru." He warned, holding his hand up to emphasize as he stepped towards her.

"Why Kenshin?"

Kaoru suddenly felt something gliding across her foot and she looked down, her eyes going as wide as saucers when she saw Misao's snake slithering lazily across her toes. She whimpered, tensing up to flee or scream but Kenshin's voice halted her actions, "just stay calm Miss Kaoru and hold still for a moment more, ok?"

Kaoru nodded and tensed up even more as the snake tried to slither up her leg. Kenshin knelt down in front of Kaoru and slowly reached out towards the snake, "Don't move Miss Kaoru."

Before Kaoru could reply she felt a slight touch on her shin and the snake was gone, held tightly in Kenshin's grip as he smiled at the critter, "oh this is just a little garden snake, Miss Misao it wouldn't have hurt you even if he had been the size of Yahiko, that he wouldn't."

"I don't care what kind of snake it is get rid of it!" both girls shouted at him.

He couldn't help but smile, holding the snake up near Kaoru, "you wanna touch him, Miss Kaoru?"

"EW! NO! GET THAT AWAY FROM ME, KENSHIN!"

"Alright, alright. I'll put him out that I will."

Kenshin headed to the gate and cracked it open, releasing the snake before shutting the gate back into place. He returned to the others and smiled, "the snake's gone now, that he is. Are you alright Miss Misao?"

"Yes, thanks Himura."

Misao jumped off of Yahiko's head, knocking him down as she did so. Kenshin chuckled softly, "why didn't you kill the snake Miss Misao? Don't you have your kunai with you?"

Misao flushed, "I forgot I had them ok, so sue me, Himura! Besides you said you want to protect the innocent and I needed protecting from the snake!"

Kenshin laughed, "that is true, Miss Misao. Oh by the way, sorry for grabbing your leg earlier Miss Kaoru."

"Huh? Oh that's ok, Kenshin. I didn't even feel it. Thanks for getting rid of the snake."

"You're quite welcome. Well now that that's over with, I'm going to go finish dinner that I am."

He started back down the hall and rounded the corner to the kitchen. As he reached the doorway his vision clouded over and a horrible wave of dizziness took over him. He had to thrust out his hand to stop himself from falling and shook his head to try and clear up his vision. Bad idea. Shaking his head had made it worse. Now he was nauseous and his vision became worse, feeling the darkness pulling at him.

"M… Miss Kaoru!"

Kaoru came around the corner and gasped at seeing Kenshin's current state. She ran up to him and rested a hand on his shoulder, "Kenshin are you ok? What's wrong?"

"I… I don't know… I don't feel well…"

"I knew you didn't. Come on let's get you to bed and I'll go and get Miss Megumi."

Kenshin pushed off the doorframe but dizzy as he was he stumbled. Kaoru had to catch him to keep him from falling, tears of worry coming to her eyes as her rurouni forced himself to stand up once more, "Kenshin look at me."

Kenshin raised his head and looked at her but all he could see was a blur. Kaoru rested a hand on his forehead and gasped lightly, "oh no, you're fever's back."

"M… Miss Kaoru…"

"Yes?"

"I… I'm sorry… Miss… Kao…"

Kenshin suddenly went limp and fell into Kaoru's arms, forcing her to drop to the ground with him, unable to support his full weight alone.

"Kenshin! Kenshin answer me! Kenshin!"

Kaoru shook him and lightly smacked his cheek to awaken him but he didn't stir. Fear clutched her chest as she shouted to the others, "Sanosuke! Yahiko! Misao! Help me!"

They appeared a moment later, their eyes widening when they saw Kenshin on the ground, "What happened Missy?"

"I don't know! He said he didn't feel well and just passed out! Help me get him to his room, Sanosuke."

Sanosuke bent down and scooped the small swordsman into his arms, carrying him to his room and laying him on the futon after Kaoru rolled it out. Kenshin groaned in his sleep and the others looked on worriedly, "he doesn't look too good."

"I know Yahiko. Misao, you finish dinner while Sanosuke and Yahiko watch after Kenshin." Kaoru ordered as she turned to leave.

"Where you going, Kaoru?" Yahiko asked.

"I'm going to get Miss Megumi. I'll be right back."

Kaoru left without another word and the others set out to do as they were told. Misao headed to the kitchen, Yahiko went to fetch some dry cloths and Sanosuke went to get some ice. As they left to complete their tasks they missed the words that escaped Kenshin's unconscious lips, "Kaoru…"

* * *

Kaoru ran as fast as she could to the clinic, reaching the door just as the sun began to disappear behind the horizon. She ran inside, calling out loudly, "Miss Megumi? Dr. Gensai? Where are you?"

When no one came she became worried and went to look around to see if anyone was there. After a brief search her heart dropped when she found the clinic to be empty.

_"I have to find something to help Kenshin! There's got to be something already made around here!"_

Kaoru looked through the numerous cabinets and finally managed to find a small box that read "fever". She opened it up and smiled when she saw it was filled with pre-measured amounts of medicine in it. She took a few from the box and left a note for the doctors saying that she took some of the medicine for Kenshin and to come to the dojo as soon as possible.

Kaoru hurried out of the clinic and started a mad dash towards home. On the way she heard some laughter ahead of her and saw three men standing around talking. When she got close to them one stepped in front of her and stopped her in her tracks, "Hold on there, pretty lady. Where're you going in such a hurry?"

"Please get out of my way! I need to get home to my sick friend!"

She pushed past the man but he caught her wrist and pulled her back, "don't be in such a hurry. Your friend will be there whenever you decide to get back."

"Yeah so why not stay and have some fun?" his partner said mockingly as he leaned down towards her.

Kaoru frowned and slapped him when he planted a kiss on her cheek. The man growled angrily, "You little witch!"

He returned Kaoru's slap, sending her head to the side as blood started to trickle from her now busted lip. She twisted her wrist away and kicked the man who had hold of her, stepping back into a fighting stance, "I told you I have to get home! And besides, I wouldn't 'have fun' with you all if you were the last people of earth!"

"Oh really?"

One of the men pulled out a dagger and held it in front of him threateningly; "you'd better be nice if you know what's good for you, little girl!"

Kaoru backed away and looked around frantically for something she could use as a weapon. She happened upon a stick thick enough to use as a makeshift sword. She picked it up and held it at the ready, "I'll give you one more chance to back off and let me pass!"

The men laughed, "check it out, the girl thinks she's a swordsman!"

"Well then lets teach her how she's not!"

One of the men came at her and she sidestepped, knocking him in the back of the head with the stick. He growled and came at her again but she hit his shoulder and thrust into his stomach, sending crashing into his friends. Kaoru smiled, this would be an easy match if all of them fought like this.

Her pride was short lived however as the men drew their swords, which had been concealed within their gis. Kaoru held her ground and blocked one of the men as he swung out at her. She managed to hit him in the face with the stick but his friend came at her from the side and cut her stick in two. Before she could react she was pushed into the wall nearby, screaming when all three men descended upon her, "get away from me!"

"You'll pay for all the trouble you've caused us, you little brat!"

The apparent leader started to tear her gi away from her shoulder, ignoring her protests as he did so. Before they could go further they heard a cold voice call out from behind them, "let her go."

They all turned and saw a man in a dark colored gi standing a few feet away, his face hidden from view by the shadows of the tree he stood under, "who the hell are you?"

"Just a traveler but I suggest you let her go."

"Or what?" the leader challenged the stranger boldly.

"Or die." Came the simple, icy reply.

"Get lost! This has nothing to do with you!"

The man turned back to Kaoru and put his hand into her gi, a cry escaping her as his palm made contact with her stomach. Bad move. In a flash the stranger was next to him, grabbing him roughly by the shoulder, "I said let her go!"

The man was flung away from Kaoru with a flick of the stranger's wrist. The other two were knocked away just as easily as he threw one into the other and away from Kaoru entirely. Kaoru sighed in relief and pulled her gi back into place, "are you alright?" he asked softly.

"Y… yes."

"Good, just sit tightly for a moment. This won't take long."

Before Kaoru could ask what he meant the man charged forward and drew the sword at his side, slashing at the three men with god-like speed. A few seconds later all three were unconscious and no longer a threat to Kaoru. The swordsman flicked his wrist suddenly, as if slinging blood from his blade before he sheathed it. He turned to her as the last ray of light from the setting sun hit his face for a second, letting her see a small scar on the bottom of his cheek. Kaoru could see his golden eyes glowing in the fading light, like a demon's eyes.

The man considered her for a moment and looked down at her shattered weapon, a smile coming to his face as he looked back into her eyes, "Oh so it's you."

"What?" Kaoru asked, confused by his words.

"It's been along time… little master."

**FINALLY! Please forgive me for taking so long in getting this up! Please don't hunt me down and kill me! I'll have the next chappie up ASAP so just ponder over my ever-recurring cliffies until then. **


	4. Chapter 4

"Little… master?" Kaoru was so stunned upon hearing that name. Only one person had ever called her that but that had been ten years ago. Could it really be him? Could this be the same traveler that had helped her all those years ago? The one who gave her the beautiful dagger she still cherished?

The stranger chuckled softly, catching her attention, "you don't remember me do you? I'm not surprised. I wouldn't expect a little girl to remember a vagabond such as myself."

"What? No! I… I remember you! You're the swordsman that chased those boys away from me and then you took me home and gave me your dagger."

Even in the intense darkness that now encircled them Kaoru could see his satisfied grin, "so you do remember," he chided her softly.

The stranger came up to stand in front of her and she tried to look at his face but it was concealed by his long bangs. The only thing she could really make out was his mouth as he spoke, "you've grown up, little master."

He reached out and brushed some hair from her face with careful fingers, "you're not so little anymore."

Kaoru flushed as his finger lightly traced a path down her throat, stopping just about her collar.

"Um… I suppose I'm not."

She heard his laugh as he let his hand fall away from her, purposefully dragging the back of his hand along the front of her chest and stomach before letting it rest back at his side.

Kaoru took a cautious step back at this action. She licked her dry lips nervously, drawing his attention there. She gasped slightly when she saw his eyes. There were a deep gold in color, almost like those a wild cat would have. In those eyes Kaoru saw something she didn't recognize but that look was making her feel uncomfortable. That look reminded her of Kenshin when he was… wait! Kenshin! She'd almost forgotten about him!

"Oh no! I have to go!" she gasped, turning to leave.

The stranger caught her sleeve, halting her retreat, "what's the rush?"

"I have to get home to my sick friend! He needs this medicine! It was nice to see you again but I have to go! Come by later if you wish and thanks for the help!"

Before he could respond Kaoru pulled away from his grasp and was gone, hurrying down the darkened street at an impressive pace. The stranger watched her leave and a sly, secretive smile tugged his lips upwards, "come by later, huh? I may just do that."

Kaoru hurried back to the dojo as fast as her legs could carry her. When she reached the gate she charged inside, rushing down the hall to Kenshin's room.

"Are you awake, Kenshin? I'm sorry I'm late but…"

She paused as she opened the door, fear washing over her when she saw an empty room. The futon looked slept in but there was no Kenshin in it like there was supposed to be.

"Oh no! Where is he? Misao! Yahiko! Sanosuke!"

A few seconds later they came to meet her at the end of the hall, "what's wrong, Miss Kaoru?" Misao asked.

"Where's Kenshin?"

"In his room where we left him, Missy." Sanosuke relied non-chalantly.

Kaoru shook her head, "No he's not! I just went in to give him the medicine but he's not there!"

"Where could he have gone to as sick as he is?" Yahiko asked, scratching his head in thought.

"I don't know but let's split up and search the dojo for him. He could be hurt."

Everyone took her advice and split up to search for the missing red head. Kaoru looked everywhere he usually was. She looked in the kitchen, the courtyard, the training hall but nothing! It was as if he'd disappeared. Kaoru went to the front of the dojo and saw the gate open, _"Oh no!"_ she thought frantically, _"What if he went out to look for me?"_

Kaoru poked her head outside the gate and called out, "Kenshin? Are you out here, Kenshin?"

No answer. She sighed and shut the gate back, worry beginning to overtake her. Then suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder, "Miss Kaoru?"

Startled, she let out a shriek and turned to face the person behind her, relief flooding her features when she met a familiar mop of red hair, "Kenshin?"

"I'm sorry to startle you, Miss Kaoru. Is everything all right? I heard you call for me."

"I'm fine but where have you been? I've been looking everywhere for you, Kenshin!"

Kenshin smiled slightly at the reprimand, "I got up to get some water and heard you shout for me so I came to see what was wrong."

Kaoru arched an eyebrow at his words. He didn't sound like Kenshin. He wasn't saying 'that I am' or anything like it like he usually did. And his voice, aside from the hoarseness brought on by illness, was a bit harsher and deeper, not like her Kenshin at all. She attributed it to his being sick and rested a hand on his shoulder, "well I'm glad you're alright. Let's get you some medicine now and put you back into bed."

Kaoru took his wrist and started to lead him back to his room but he didn't budge, "No, I have to prepare dinner, I can't go to bed right now."

"I'll cook dinner tonight, Kenshin. You need to take some medicine, rest and get well."

"I'm fine, really. I took some medicine earlier so there's no need to…" Kenshin paused as he raised his head slightly to where he could see her but was careful to keep his bangs covering his eyes. A frown suddenly came to his face and Kaoru cocked her head to look at him, "What's wrong, Kenshin?"

"What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

Kenshin raised his head to meet her gaze for the first time since she'd been home and she couldn't help the gasp that slipped past her lips. Looking back at her were the intense golden eyes of the Battousai. So that explained the sudden change in his speech pattern.

"I mean you're hurt," he reached out and lightly touched her still bloody mouth, "what happened to your lip?"

Kaoru suddenly remembered the fight and tried to think of a lie to tell him. If she told him she had been in a fight no doubt he would go out to find the thugs and give them a thrashing. She forced a smile, "Oh that? I was running looking for you and I bumped into Sanosuke and bit my lip, nothing to worry about, Kenshin."

That would be good enough, she thought. Kenshin never really called her out on a lie if he caught her and she figured since he was ill he wouldn't catch onto her lie. She looked back up at Kenshin and saw his eyes narrow slightly, his voice turning icy and low, "you're lying."

Kaoru felt a small twinge of fear course through her at the sound of that voice. She had heard it only once before when he was about to kill Jine. She never thought that that voice would be directed at her. And those eyes! The eyes that could freeze the bravest men in fear were now doing the same to her. They seemed to glow in the night and despite their harshness, held a tenderness there that was distinctly Kenshin whether he was Battousai or the wanderer.

Kaoru shook herself out of her trance and smiled up at him, deciding to change the subject, "Oh it's nothing. Now come on you need to get to bed and rest."

Kaoru tugged on his wrist once more but again he didn't move. She looked back and saw that emotionless face and blazing eyes, forcing a laugh, "See? You're so sick you've gone Battousai on me."

That backfired a bit. Battousai clearly wasn't amused by her joke as his eyes narrowed a bit more at her. Kaoru sighed, "What's wrong, Kenshin?"

Battousai suddenly twisted his wrist and turned his hand to grasp her wrist, pulling her closer to him with a sharp tug. Kaoru yelped slightly as she came face to face with Battousai, his voice stern and unwavering, "I don't like being lied to, Kaoru."

Kaoru felt her stomach knot up. There was something about the way he was looking at her and the sound of his voice that made her a bit fearful. Of course she knew he wouldn't hurt her but it was still intimidating to be staring Battousai in the eyes, especially at such close proximity to his heated body. Experimentally, she tried to pull her hand away but his grip was strong and unyielding. It wasn't strong enough to hurt her but there was no chance she was getting away from him either. She swallowed the lump in her throat and forced another smile, "It's nothing to worry about, Kenshin. I'm fine."

"Tell me what happened."

Kaoru sighed, knowing that he was as stubborn as she was and that she wasn't going to get out of this without telling him the truth. If this had been the wanderer he would've given up by now and let the subject drop, but not Battousai. As he said, he hated being lied to and he wasn't about to tolerate it from her. She groaned and turned away from his intense gaze, "I went to the clinic to get you some medicine and these guys attacked me. I ticked one off and he slapped me."

"Why were you out alone? Where was Sanosuke?"

"I told him to stay here and take care of you. Besides, it wasn't dark when I left and you needed the medicine."

"You could've been killed. You shouldn't have gone alone. Why didn't you…"

"Kenshin!" she interrupted him abruptly, her temper finally getting the better of her, "I don't need a lecture, Kenshin! You are sick and someone needed to stay and help you if you fell again! What was I supposed to do? Wait until Aoshi came back in two days and let you get worse? I'm fine, nothing happened! I managed to take care of it so don't act like my father!"

Battousai's eyes widened at her boldness. Not many people spoke to him that way, especially not Kaoru. She was usually timid around him yet now here she was yelling at him for worrying about her. He may not be as gentle as the wanderer but he cared for this young woman as much as his softer side and he wasn't about to let something happen to her, especially because of him.

Kaoru took a breath to calm herself, looking up at him with teary eyes as she continued, "I don't need a bodyguard Kenshin. You always look after me and the one time you need me I'm not going to sit around and do nothing! I don't care what happens to me as long as you're ok."

Kaoru looked away from him, unable to look into those eyes anymore. He could make her so angry sometimes. When she was the one in danger he never thought twice about what may happen to him. Didn't he know that she felt the same way? Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand on her chin, turning her face to meet his gaze, "Kaoru."

Kaoru allowed him to turn her head and gasped slightly when she saw his face. His solemn expression had melted into one of sympathy and understanding. His normally cold eyes were soft and his voice deepened a bit to a low rumble, ringing softly in her eyes as he spoke, "I'm sorry. It worries me when I'm not here to help you. Sick or not I should've gone with you. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because of me."

Kaoru flushed slightly at his words. Battousai was never usually this soft spoken with anyone. Anytime he spoke to someone it was usually in battle and he was harsh and threatening but now he was as tender as the wanderer. If it hadn't been for the gold eyes she would've thought she was talking to the wanderer, not the fierce Battousai. She shook her head and laughed, "you're a jerk!"

"Hmm?" he asked confused.

"I'm fine. I don't need you to follow me like a shadow and protect me. I'm not a weak little girl, just a friend worried about you because you're sick. Now please, for once do as I ask! Let this go and go back to bed and rest."

"Kaoru, I need to…"

"Please Kenshin? For me?"

Battousai looked into those deep blue eyes and sighed. He couldn't deny her anything anymore than the wanderer could. She was his ultimate weakness whether she realized it or not. He sighed, "Alright, if you'll feel better I'll go to bed."

Kaoru's face lit up and she gave him a beautiful smile, pulling her hand free to grasp his and pull him along, "thank you. Now come on."

Battousai let her lead him back to his room and Kaoru made him lay down as she got a glass of water for him. She handed him a packet of the medicine and he took it quietly, making a disgusted face when the bitter powder hit his taste buds, "if the illness won't kill me that stuff will."

Kaoru laughed lightly and gently pushed him down, pulling the covers over him, "I know it tastes bad but it'll make you better. Now get some rest. Goodnight Kenshin."

Kaoru stood to leave and turned to shut the shoji screen, hearing a faint, "goodnight" as she closed it. She headed off to find the others, her mind racing with thoughts of what had just happened. First Kenshin turned into Battousai and then Battousai turned soft on her. What was going on with him? Kenshin had been acting strangely for days ever since he first started getting sick. He became more sarcastic, distant and even a bit harsh. It was nice to see Kenshin loosen up a bit but these drastic changes all at once were beginning to get strange. Most of all she couldn't believe that she got Battousai to listen to her. Normally he would've fought her tooth and nail to win the argument but this time he gracefully relented to her and that wasn't like him at all. Was it all because he was sick? But why would Battousai appear when he's ill?

Kaoru stopped her musings when she saw the others in the living area talking. Yahiko noticed her first and called out, "Hey Kaoru. Did you find Kenshin?"

"Yes and he's in bed now."

"Where was he?"

"He said he got up to get a drink and heard us calling him and came to see what was going on."

"Well we looked at the well and we didn't see him." Misao added.

"It's been a long day and Kenshin is fast even when he's sick, maybe we just missed him." Sanosuke thought out loud.

"Maybe. Well, thanks for looking after everything. You all go ahead and relax a bit and I'll fix something for dinner."

"Kaoru's cooking tonight? Great now we'll all be as sick as Kenshin." Yahiko joked.

Kaoru flushed with anger and hit him across the back of the head, ignoring his cursing at her as she headed off to cook dinner. She managed to make some rice and a bit of veggies without hurting herself or burning down the dojo and she was satisfied with it. It wouldn't be as good as Kenshin's but it would do until he got better.  
Everyone ate in relative silence, except for a few nasty comments from Yahiko and Sanosuke about Kaoru's cooking that is. Once everyone was finished Sanosuke and Yahiko headed off to bed while Kaoru and Misao started the dishes. As they were cleaning Misao noticed Kaour's lip and crossed her arms at the kendo master, "All right, spill it, Miss Kaoru."

"Huh? Spill what, Misao?"

"What happened to your lip? And don't tell me you fell or something."

Kaoru smiled. She couldn't put anything past Kenshin and she couldn't put anything past Misao either. She put away the last of the dishes as she explained, "I got into a fight on the way home. Nothing major just a busted lip. Now I'm tired and I'm sure you are too, Misao so go to bed and stop judging me."

"Oh fine! But did you at least nail one where it hurts?"

Kaoru couldn't help but chuckle at her malevolent friend, "I think I managed to hit one where he'll remember it."

"Good for you, Miss Kaoru. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Misao."

Both girls headed to their rooms to settle down for the evening. Kaoru changed into her nightclothes and slipped under the covers with a tired sigh. It had been a really long day. Maybe things would be better tomorrow. Now that Kenshin had some medicine he could get better and get back to his old, cheery, "that I am" self. As she lay there Kaoru thought back to the fight and couldn't help but think of the stranger. She had never seen his face, neither at their first meeting or tonight. He was very careful to stay in the shadows to where she couldn't see him and his bangs always covered his face. She was never able to tell the exact color of his hair but she knew it was a bit lighter than hers the way the shadows cast on it. The only thing she had ever really been able to see was a small scar on the bottom of his cheek and his charming smile.

"He seems so familiar but I can't think of where from. I know I met him ten years ago but I feel that I've known him since then. Who are you?"

Before Kaoru could think further on the matter she felt her eyelids grow heavy and before she knew it she drifted off to sleep.

Later that night Kaoru's shoji screen quietly eased opened and a dark figure stepped inside, shutting the door behind them. Kaoru stirred slightly in her sleep and rolled onto her back to get comfortable as the figure knelt down next to her. Moonlight gently peaked into the room through the small window and cast a silvery glow on the figure's face, illuminating the smile playing across their lips as they watched the sleeping woman on the futon. A hand reached out and moved some stray hair away from Kaoru's face, tracing the lines of her delicate features until she stirred.

Kaoru opened her still groggy eyes and looked up, trying to focus on the person beside her. When her vision cleared she saw a dark haired man sitting next to her. Her eyes went wide as a masculine chuckle left his throat, "hello Kaoru."

**YEY! I finally updated! Thanks for hanging in there gang! Next chapter will be up soon so stay tuned!**


	5. Chapter 5

Kaoru opened her still groggy eyes and looked up, trying to focus on the person beside her. When her vision cleared she saw a dark haired man sitting next to her. Her eyes went wide as a masculine chuckle left his throat, "hello Kaoru."

Kaoru opened her mouth to scream but he quickly placed a hand over her mouth to quiet her, his voice soft and reassuring, "It's alright, it's just me, little master."

Kaoru relaxed a bit upon hearing that name and nodded her head to indicate she understood. The man released her as she sat up, slight anger in her voice as she asked, "What are you d…"

The man shushed her again with a finger against her lips; "You need to be quiet, unless you want to awaken everyone."

Kaoru shook her head away from his hand and lowered her voice to an almost whisper, "What're you doing here?"

"You told me to come and see you later, so here I am."

"I didn't mean tonight! And not in my room!"

The stranger chuckled softly at her, "well you never specified as to when you wanted me to drop by and I figured I should check on you since you were attacked earlier. And I must admit, I'm glad I decided to come."

"Why is that?"

Even in the darkness Kaoru could see his golden eyes sparkle with mischief as they lowered to look at something. She followed his gaze and gasped in horror when she realized he was looking at her chest, which was painfully visible through her thin sleeping yukata. Kaoru shrieked and quickly pulled the covers over her chest, a flush coming to her cheeks, "you pervert!"

The man laughed at the reprimand, "now, now let's not be rude to one another."

"You're telling me no to be rude? I'm not the one sneaking into other people's rooms at night while they're asleep!"

He smiled at her in the dark, unaffected by her remark, "That is very true. How is your lip, by the way?"

"It's fine, thanks."

"It looks swollen, are you in pain?" he asked softly.

Kaoru shook her head, "no, I'm ok. It is throbbing a little bit but I'll live, I've had worse."

Suddenly Kaoru felt rough fingers on her chin, pulling her closer to her visitor. He gently stroked her lip with his thumb, his voice low and seductive, "would you like me to kiss it and make it better for you, little master?"

Kaoru flushed from her head to her toes and couldn't help but stare at the man. Had he actually just asked her that? "What?"

"I've always found that a kiss makes everything better."

Before Kaoru could say anything he began to lean towards her. Her body froze in place, unsure of what to do. Should she fight him? Should she scream for Kenshin? The stranger's eyes began to close and his lips brushed hers when, "Miss Kaoru?" Misao called from down the hall.

The stranger stopped and smiled at Kaoru, "It seems as though we're about to have company. I'll have to treat your wound next time. So long little master."

In a flash the man was gone, leaving her alone once more in her dark room, confused and shocked at what had just happened. Misao suddenly opened her door and came rushing in, kunai in hand, "Are you all right, Miss Kaoru? I heard you shout."

"Shout? Oh! Yeah, I um… just had a bad dream is all, Misao. Nothing to worry about." Kaoru smiled to make her lie seem more convincing and Misao put her kunai away, apparently believing the fib.

"That's good to hear. Well sorry to barge in like that, see you tomorrow."

Misao turned to leave but Kaoru stopped her, "wait Misao."

"Yeah?"

"Can… you stay with me?"

Misao arched an eyebrow at the request, "Why? Did your dream scare you that badly?"

"Um… yes! I don't want to be alone so, would you stay with me?"

Kaoru couldn't believe how much she was lying to her friend but what else could she do? She couldn't tell Misao that she had just had a strange man in her room trying to kiss her. Misao would surely start yelling and looking for the perpetrator, which would awaken Kenshin and then he would be upset. There was nothing worse than an angry Kenshin in the middle of the night when someone was in the dojo that shouldn't be there. Many enemies found that out the hard way but Kaoru knew that Kenshin was in no condition to fight anyone and she didn't want Misao to worry either.

Luckily Misao believed her and smiled down at the older woman as she shut the shoji screen back into place, "sure Miss Kaoru. Scoot over and I'll crash with you tonight."

"Thanks Misao."

Kaoru scooted over enough to where Misao could slip under the covers with her. Luckily Misao was a tiny girl so they both still had plenty of room to sleep comfortably even though there were two people sharing a single futon. Both girls laid down and closed their eyes to go to sleep. Kaoru looked around once more to make sure the man had really gone and let out a sigh before finally drifting back off to sleep, hoping things would be less strange in the morning.

The next morning everyone awoke and started about their routine. Sanosuke and Yahiko went into town to eat breakfast at the Akabeko, fearful of having to eat Kaoru's cooking twice in a row. Misao and Kaoru fixed a simple breakfast for themselves and Kenshin. Kaoru made a tray of food for the still sick red head and started down the hall to take it to him. As she left the kitchen door she saw Kenshin come around the corner, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he went.

"Good morning, Kenshin."

He looked up at her and smiled, "Oh good morning Miss Kaoru. You're up early, that you are."

Kaoru smiled, he sounded like his old self again. Apparently the medicine really did the trick. His eyes were bright and his cheeks weren't flushed anymore and he looked like he felt ok, which made her happy.

"Yep, I figured you still needed rest so I was bringing some breakfast to you."

Kenshin laughed lightly, scratching his head in embarrassment, "You don't have to do all of that for me, Miss Kaoru, that you don't. I'm a burden enough without you having to bring stuff to me."

Kaoru huffed, "don't start that, Kenshin! I'm doing this because I want to, not because I have to. You would do the same for me."

"That I would," Kenshin came up and took the tray from her, his smile never faltering, "I appreciate it very much, Miss Kaoru. But I'd prefer to eat with you and Miss Misao if that's ok with you. It's lonely in my room, that it is."

Kaoru grinned at him, unable to suppress the urge to tease him, "You can always talk to Battousai."

Kenshin shook his head, "No, he doesn't say much, he just mopes around waiting to kill people, that he does."

Kaoru laughed and slapped his arm lightly, getting a chuckle from him as she scolded him, "Kenshin!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Kaoru. I guess I'm still not really myself yet, that I'm not."

"That's ok, it's nice to hear you joking around instead of being all serious all the time."

"That's good to know. Shall we have breakfast now? I'm sure Miss Misao is waiting on us."

"Sure, lets go."

Kaoru and Kenshin headed to the eating area and Misao greeted them cheerfully, "Hey there, Himura! You're looking better."

"I'm feeling a bit better, that I am. Oh by the way, Miss Kaoru, I wanted to apologize for my behavior last night."

"Huh? What do you mean, Kenshin?"

"You know, when I…yelled at you…"

Kaoru thought for a moment about what he meant before she understood what he was talking about. She smiled and patted his shoulder, "Oh don't worry about it, Kenshin. I forgot all about it until you said something. You were worried about me so I'll forgive you this time. But next time I'll have to hurt you, got it?"

"Yes ma'am!"

Everyone started eating and finished their meal in relative silence, aside from Misao questioning Kenshin about what he and Kaoru were just talking about. After breakfast the girls decided to chat on the porch while Kenshin went to clean the dishes. Kaoru had started to argue with him about it and tried to send him back to bed but he was persistent and won out in the end. Misao chattered about Aoshi and this and that but Kaoru's mind was elsewhere. She began to think about the stranger again.

She could clearly remember his voice from last night. She couldn't help but think that she'd heard it before. It was deep but soft and slightly feminine, almost like a teenage boy would have. Each time she encountered him Kaoru felt that she already knew the man but from where? And why did he try to kiss her last night? The last time they'd met she was little so that might have been part of the reason he was treating her so differently now that she was an adult. After all it had been ten years ago when…

"Miss Kaoru!"

"Huh?" Misao's voice snapped Kaoru out of her thoughts and she looked over at the dark haired ninja, "yes Misao?"

"What's up with you, today? Don't tell me you're still thinking about that dream you had last night."

Kaoru sighed, maybe she should tell her the truth. "No, and actually Misao, I didn't have a nightmare last night."

"You didn't? Then why did you want me to stay with you?"

Kaoru looked around to make sure Kenshin wasn't around and got up, tugging on Misao's hand to pull her into the nearest room to talk. She shut the shoji and turned to Misao, "you have to promise me that you won't tell Kenshin anything I'm about to tell you."

"I promise."

"Well you see… last night there was… a man… in my room."

Misao smiled devilishly, "oh you mean Himura finally grew a pair and came to see you? That's kinda creepy though, coming to your room in the middle of the ni…OW!"

Misao stopped in her tease when Kaoru smacked her upside the head, "That's not what happened, Misao! Kenshin wasn't the one in my room!"

"What? Then who was it?"

"I… don't know."

"You don't know? Why didn't you tell me this last night? I would've searched the dojo and killed the creep! Was it one of the guys that attacked you last night?"

"No, I know him from before but… oh it's a long story."

"Well tell me, I need to know so I can help you, Miss Kaoru."

"Alright."

Kaoru explained everything to Misao; from how she came to meet the mysterious stranger ten years ago to how he rescued her from the men last night to how he came to see her in her room. Misao's eyes were wide with shock when Kaoru finished her tale, "so… he just came onto you?"

"Yeah."

"Well we need to find out who this guy is and if he's dangerous or not."

"I don't think he's dangerous, Misao."

"Miss Kaoru, the guy snuck into your room last night and tried to kiss you! You don't find that weird? I mean he's only met you twice and he's already trying to get into your kimono!"

"I know what you're saying Misao but… I feel that I know him somehow."

Misao scratched her head in confusion, "Huh?"

"I mean… he feels so familiar but I can't think of where I know him from. I know I've met him since that first time I just can't place where."

"Well you need to figure it out soon. But don't worry, tonight I'm gonna stay with you again to make sure he doesn't come back."

Kaoru smiled and shook her head, "no need for that, Misao. I have a dagger in my room and besides, I don't think he'll come back again, at least not at night."

"I hope you're right, Miss Kaoru."

"Now remember, you promised not to tell Kenshin about this."

Misao smiled and gave her a thumbs up, "I promise, Himura won't hear any of this from me."

"Thanks."

Kaoru and Misao headed back onto the porch and saw Kenshin come out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on his hakama as he went, "there you two are. Where'd you go?"

"We were just gossiping is all," Kaoru explained with a wave of her hand to dismiss the matter.  
Kenshin smiled, "you weren't talking badly about me, were you?"

"No, of course not, Kenshin."

Misao laughed, "No but Miss Kaoru was dreaming about you last night, Himura."

Kenshin and Kaoru both flushed, "She was?"

"Yeah, she said she had a bad dream so I figure she must've seen you naked in her dreams, OW!"

Kaoru slapped Misao across the back of the head, her flush growing brighter, "MISAO! You are such a liar! I do not dream about Kenshin naked!"

Kenshin smiled and decided to tease the flustered kendo master, "oh you just dream about me with my clothes on, Miss Kaoru?"

Kaoru huffed at him, "you wish, Kenshin!"

Kenshin placed a hand over his chest as if he'd been hit, "that hurts my feelings, Miss Kaoru."

"Good! Now that you two have had your fun I'm going to practice!"

Misao and Kenshin laughed as Kaoru stormed off down the hall to change into her workout uniform. She entered her room and shut the shoji tightly before quickly changing into her kendo gear. She opened her drawer and looked at the dagger there, the one that the stranger had given to her ten years ago.

Kaoru removed the blade from the solid black sheath and looked at the polished steel with a thoughtful smile. It had been ten years since she was given the dagger but it was still shiny, beautiful and sharp. She had been sure to take care of the blade, not wanting to let it get ruined. Kaoru began to see the stranger's smile in her mind and sighed, putting the dagger away before heading to the training hall to practice.

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly. Yahiko and Sanosuke returned after lunch and talked for a bit before leaving again. Yahiko decided to stay with Tsubame at the Akabeko while Sanosuke said he was going to hang out with some of his old gangster friends. Aoshi had returned also and Misao was more than ecstatic to see him. She cornered him and began to assault him with questions and stories about what she had been doing while he was away. Kenshin smiled as he watched his friends talk. He enjoyed these peaceful times with them.

He looked over at Kaoru and saw her starring off into space again, obviously with something on her mind. He sighed, feeling badly for her but not knowing what to do to help her. He had tried to get her to tell him what was bothering her all day, but every time he questioned her she would simply smile and dismiss the matter. He felt frustrated at her avoidance on the subject. Was this how he acted when Kaoru asked him about what was bothering him? If it was then he now fully understood why she was always so angry with him when he was troubled with something but dismissed it as nothing. After a few more minutes of listening to Misao's chatter he decided to start dinner.

As he was heading into the kitchen he felt a familiar wave of nausea hit him and his head began to ache again. Kenshin leaned against the wall and rubber his temples angrily, _"not again! When is this damn cold going to end?"_

Before he could dwell more on the matter he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. He turned around to see a worried looking Kaoru standing behind him, "you ok, Kenshin?"

He forced a smile, "oh yes, I'm fine Miss Kaoru, that I am."

"You're lying. Go to bed."

"I can't. I've gotten out of cooking for two days now, I need to start doing my duties around here before I become lazy like Sano."

Kaoru shook her head at him, "can't you ever just do as I ask?"

"Can you tell me what's bothering you?"

Kaoru gave him a confused look, "what? Don't change the subject on me."

"I'm worried about you, Miss Kaoru, that I am. You haven't been acting yourself today, that you haven't."

Kaoru laughed, "Maybe I'm getting your personality-altering cold, Kenshin."

Kenshin laughed with her, "maybe so. I would feel horribly if I got you sick, that I would."

"Well I know who to kill if I suddenly start acting like Miss Megumi or something."

"You would honestly try to kill me?" he asked with a grin.

"Of course. Why? Don't you think I could do it?"

"Well I am faster than you…"

Kaoru swung at him and he took off down the hall, missing the look she gave him as he disappeared into the kitchen, "you wait, Kenshin! I'll catch you while you're asleep!"

Kaoru heard his laugh even from down the hall and she shook her head. She really enjoyed being able to joke around with him this way. When he first came to stay with her he hardly spoke at all, let alone joked with her. Now he seemed to trust her enough to start being himself around her. She knew that there were parts of his personality that she hadn't seen yet but whatever they were she could handle them if it meant him being happy.

Later that night after dinner everyone decided to head off to bed early. Kaoru went to the well and got a glass of water and a packet of medicine from her room before heading down the hall to Kenshin's. She tapped on the door and waited for him to answer. The shoji slid open a few seconds later and Kenshin smiled at her, "Oh Miss Kaoru, is everything ok?"

"Yeah everything's fine. I just brought you some more medicine."

Kenshin looked at the little packet and scowled a bit, his smile turning to a grin, "You are trying to kill me aren't you, Miss Kaoru?"

Kaoru giggled and handed him the medicine and water, "just shush and take your medicine, I didn't poison it or anything."

Kenshin gave her a playful, questioning look, "how do I know you're not conspiring with Saito to get rid of me?"

Kaoru rolled her eyes at him, "I wouldn't work with Saito if my life depended on it now just take it before I have to get nasty."

Kenshin sighed and took the medicine, making a sour face when he tasted it. He forced himself to swallow the awful powder and handed the glass back to Kaoru, "there, happy now, Miss Kaoru?"

"Yes, now go to sleep and rest, Kenshin."

Kaoru started to turn to head to her room but Kenshin caught her sleeve and pulled her back, "wait, Miss Kaoru."

"Yes? What is it, Kenshin?"

"Do you want me to stand guard at your door tonight?"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"I overheard what you and Miss Misao were talking about earlier today, about someone coming into your room last night."

Kaoru turned pale at that comment. How did he hear them? She thought they were quiet and she hadn't noticed him come to the door. "You were… eavesdropping on us?"

"Not exactly. I was coming to ask you two about something and all I heard was that someone was in your room with you. Is that why you're not acting yourself today?"

Kaoru sighed. She should have known she couldn't put anything past Kenshin. All the same she didn't want him to worry, "I'm fine, it was just a bad dream is all. Misao stayed with me and I was fine. You don't need to worry about me, Kenshin."

"But what if something were to happen to you? What if someone really does come into your room?"

Kaoru smiled, "I have a dagger in my room so don't worry about me, I'll be just fine, Kenshin."

Kenshin arched a brow at that comment, "You have a dagger? I've never noticed one before."

"I keep it in my drawer."

"Well, may I make a suggestion, Miss Kaoru?"

"Sure, what?"

"You might want to place it under your sheets with you. It will be within reach then and you won't have to worry about having to search for it if you need it."

Kaoru smiled. Whenever Kenshin explained about how to fight she listened. He was one of the best swordsmen in Japan after all, so if he told her to do something she usually always did it, knowing his advice would never lead her wrong. He had taught her a little bit of self-defense moves when they were playing around in the dojo as well, so she was fairly sure that she could handle herself if she needed to.

"I'll do that, thanks Kenshin. If I need you I'll come and get you, ok?"

"Alright, but if you change your mind and want me to watch over you I will."

"Thanks Kenshin, goodnight."

"Goodnight Miss Kaoru."

Kaoru headed off to her room and shut her shoji before taking down her hair to brush it. Once she finished she slipped into her sleeping yukata and tidied up her futon. As she was fixing the blanket she heard soft footsteps, liking someone sneaking around, approaching her room. She suddenly felt a bit anxious and looked to the door. Was the stranger coming back? Would he actually risk sneaking in again? She saw a shadow appear on the other side of her shoji and Kaoru quickly opened her drawer and held her dagger close, ready to fight if she needed to. Her fears vanished as she saw the shadow sit down in front of her shoji, hearing the soft clank of a sword touching the wooden floor as they did so. She couldn't help the sigh of relief that left her, it was just Kenshin.

She had told him not to stand guard for her; she wasn't some high-ranking government official that needed his surveillance all night. Even so, Kaoru couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for her handsome swordsman. He was still sick and didn't feel well but he was willing to put his health at risk by staying out in the chilly night air to protect her against the dangers of the night. She loved him for his selflessness but there were times she wished he would worry more about himself, especially now when he was still ill.

Kaoru shook her head and got under the covers. She felt safe now. No one would get past Kenshin so there was no reason to worry about the mysterious stranger that had re-entered her life, although she couldn't help but think about him again. She could still see those eyes of his. They were gold in color and seemed to glow when emotions stirred within him. They were piercing yet gentle when they looked at her. They were unlike anything she'd ever seen.

Oh she had seen golden eyes before, of course, but not many people had them. Saito had them but his were empty and frightening. And of course Battousai had them, she had encountered those eyes the night before. She enjoyed looking into those golden depths, even though they ran a chill down her spine. Battousai was a very strong and feared man, yet when he looked at her she felt safe, knowing that Kenshin's darker side was fond of her but to what extent she didn't know. Kaoru knew that Battousai cared for her but just how deep did that emotion go? Did he see her as a sister? A friend? A daughter even? He was much older than her but she never took their age difference into consideration. But did he? Whenever she looked into the Battousai's eyes she saw a hidden emotion there that was unfamiliar to her, it was the same look she saw in the stranger's eyes.

Both men had the same eyes but the stranger wasn't Battousai, she knew that for certain. Battousai's voice was deep and husky; the stranger's was soft and charming. When he had fought off the men he sounded a bit different but she had learned not to judge men by their battle voices. Kenshin could change his voice from his high-pitched cheery voice to the deep and threatening voice of the Battousai in less than a second, so a voice wasn't really a good way of identifying someone. Nonetheless, she felt that she knew that voice and it was driving her insane that she couldn't remember him.

Kaoru's thoughts were interrupted when she heard Kenshin cough lightly outside, groaning slightly as his throat became raw from the act. A sad sigh left her and turned onto her side. She wanted to tell Kenshin to go to bed but she knew he wouldn't. He probably wouldn't even acknowledge her unless she stepped outside to face him, that's just how he was. When his mind was set on doing something he was going to do it, no matter who stood in his way, not even her. Kaoru sighed once more and closed her eyes, forcing herself to drift off to sleep.

Meanwhile, outside, Kenshin listened to her toss and turn for sometime before she finally settled down and went to sleep. He had followed her to bed, not wanting her to be alone tonight but it wouldn't be appropriate for him to actually stay in the room with her. So he decided to sit outside her door and keep watch over her. She had insisted that it was just a dream but something told Kenshin that he shouldn't believe her. Kaoru didn't act the way she did because of a dream. Even if it were just a dream he wasn't going to take the chance of it really happening and letting someone get into her room to hurt her.

A light breeze came up and he shivered a bit. It had been awhile since he'd had guard duty. In the revolution he did it all the time. There were many times he sat out in the rain and cold to protect one of his leaders or some important official that feared for his life. Then he had no choice in the matter but now he did and he didn't mind the cold if it meant keeping Kaoru safe from harm. Prolonging his cold would be worth it if Kaoru awoke rested and carefree, as she should be. Shortly after he'd settled down the throbbing in his head began to return and he felt a light sweat on his brow but he ignored it, _"Another fever? I thought the medicine was supposed to help get rid of this. Oh well, I can deal with it. Right now Miss Kaoru needs me and I won't let anything keep me from protecting her, no matter how bad I start to feel."_

Kenshin adjusted his sword to a more comfortable position on his shoulder and leaned his head against the wall, which helped to relief his headache a bit. He could feel sleep tugging at him but he refused to go to sleep, he couldn't. About an hour or so later Kenshin felt his face flush with fever and his mind began to dull. He tried to keep his eyes open but eventually his tired body overpowered his will to stay awake and he drifted off to sleep.


End file.
